To All I Love,
Teaching in Liberia -- One thing that makes it difficult to teach in Liberia is the phone connection. It's really hard and sad because they are so prepared and anxious to be baptized but we can't teach them due to the phone connection and we are the local missionaries. We are praying the phone connection will work better. The missionary department and MTC are working on a new system to help us sisters out with the Teaching Center. We had a training on it today. They trained us today on things they have redone for our teaching center which should allow our calls to be much more effective and chats and calls to be much more effective. But anyways we got a hold of Morou last weekend!! He is doing great! He has been attending church and we even had his member wife on the line with us as a member present. It was really neat to hear them testify of these things. We called the branch president and asked if he could deliver pamphlets to them so we could use them while we teach. So while we taught about the Plan of Salvation the two of them had their pamphlet out and they would read with us. I just pray that the phone connection now with the updated system will work. They are so prepared. We talked with the Branch President last week and he was in contact with the Mission counselors who said that we can prepare them to be baptized now for the end of June. We just have one hurdle... THE PHONE... But with faith ALL things are possible! The Lord knows what he is doing and we just have faith in him that all things will work out.
Well, I love you all! Please be healthy and take good care of yourselves! Grandma Susan know that my thoughts are with you. I pray that all will go well!! I love you so much and I know the Lord has everything under control with what happens. Family, know that I love you! My prayers are with you all at this time. Grandma Susan I love you, more than you will ever know. I don't know if you read my letters or not but in case you do, just know that. My prayers are with you at this time.
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| Preparing for Elder Perry's funeral in the Tabernacle |
Well another week has come and gone! I am just loving it here! Being a missionary is just so special! Like usual I, of course, don't know where to begin.
Teaching All Corners of the World (Liberia, Philippines, Arkansas, Minneapolis, etc. and soon to be Asia):
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| Sister O'Rielly from Corona |
Teaching in the Philippines -- While our physical boundaries is closed off to just 30 acres of proselyting our teaching boundaries include the world. :) This past week we had the opportunity to pick up a 12 year-old girl from the Philippines! She is just the sweetest. We were sitting in out Teaching Center taking Chats when this person comes on asking "How can I be a missionary?" Sis. George and I were a little caught off guard. As we continued to chat with them they expressed to us just how excited she was to be a missionary and that she sees missionaries where she lives and it just sounds so exciting to be a missionary. This little girl mentioned how she watched a video about missionaries and how she really wants to do what they got to do. We asked her what she knew about missionaries and she gave us a little information as to what we do. We shared with her the responsibility that we have and mentioned that we could send local missionaries to teach her and prepare her to be a missionary. We then asked how old she was. She mentioned she was 12 and so due to being under 18 we needed to get parental permission to send missionaries. She gave us her moms number and so right then and there we called her mom, who is thousands of miles away in the Philippines. It was really neat as we talked with her because the mom was a little hesitant at first as she asked a little bit more as to what missionaries do and what would be required of her daughter. As we continued to talk with the mom we mentioned we would send missionaries to her home and they would talk with her and share with her the things that will happen. The mom asked if they would bring material on the church for her daughter to read. We mentioned they would bring pamphlets and a copy of the Book of Mormon (explained a bit about it). The mom said that wouldn't be a problem. They were Roman Catholic but she was okay with the Mormon missionaries coming by. That, in itself, was really powerful, having a mom willing to allow her daughter this opportunity and experience, seeing this mom have a change of heart. We talked with the little girl again and explained to her what happened. She was really excited and then asked us "when are the missionaries going to come see me?" We tried calling again several days later but it didn't work. We called her and asked if we could just chat again and she said that would be better. We then chatted with her again and stated our purpose and talked briefly about baptism and what the missionaries will teach her and just what happens in general. We will teach her again on Friday. She is so sweet and just so precious! As we get off of chat she always says, "Thank you Sister Jennifer, you are so sweet and special. I will never forget you. I love you Sister Jennifer." I just pray that the missionaries will be able to see her soon. I just love the Lord, the gospel and the peoples hearts who are prepared to receive the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It's a tremendous blessing to have this knowledge of this truth in our lives!
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| Getting ready to announce! |
Teaching in Liberia -- One thing that makes it difficult to teach in Liberia is the phone connection. It's really hard and sad because they are so prepared and anxious to be baptized but we can't teach them due to the phone connection and we are the local missionaries. We are praying the phone connection will work better. The missionary department and MTC are working on a new system to help us sisters out with the Teaching Center. We had a training on it today. They trained us today on things they have redone for our teaching center which should allow our calls to be much more effective and chats and calls to be much more effective. But anyways we got a hold of Morou last weekend!! He is doing great! He has been attending church and we even had his member wife on the line with us as a member present. It was really neat to hear them testify of these things. We called the branch president and asked if he could deliver pamphlets to them so we could use them while we teach. So while we taught about the Plan of Salvation the two of them had their pamphlet out and they would read with us. I just pray that the phone connection now with the updated system will work. They are so prepared. We talked with the Branch President last week and he was in contact with the Mission counselors who said that we can prepare them to be baptized now for the end of June. We just have one hurdle... THE PHONE... But with faith ALL things are possible! The Lord knows what he is doing and we just have faith in him that all things will work out.
My Mandarin Companion:
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| Sis. Hershey - she knows Grandma Skaggs & taught seminary with her! |
Well, for starters she is just the greatest ever!! I feel so blessed to have such an amazing companion this transfer. I have a feeling I will be learning and growing way too much this transfer! She is coming inbound for the summer from the Oakland/San Francisco Mission. She is currently in her 10th transfer with 3 transfers left. She is from TAIWAN! Her entire family are members. She is already so diligent, loving, giving, and um, bold. I thought I was good at contacting on the square, yeah I'm horrible compared to her. We were told all of the sisters were visitor center sisters but only 2 out of the 10 are VC Sisters. Sis. Lin has been proselyting her entire mission. Oh yeah I should tell you her name. Her name is Sis. Lin, from Taiwan and family, you will get to meet her next weekend when you come and visit! She came in yesterday! She is so sweet. As we were getting ready for bed she whispers down "I love you." And then she is like, "Do you want to learn how to say it Mandarin?" And so she then taught me how to say "I love You." It sounds like this "Wo I knee". That's not how you spell it but that's how it sounds when you say "Wo I knee". We are going to have such an amazing transfer! It's going to be different training an already trained missionary. But we are so excited. She will teach me Mandarin and how to be better! And I will teach her Temple Square! It was funny last night at like 8 PM President and the AP's pulled us all together after like 8 hours of waiting to tell us who we would each be companions with. When we were told we were companions we were so excited. Sis. Lin was like, "I wanted you to be my companion. I'm so excited!" We just flew into each others arms. President then spent about 30 minutes doing Q & A and then telling us what he expects of us and just what is happening. He again mentioned that he would like us to learn Mandarin and repeated it about 3 times. The Zone Leaders weren't lying. I'm so excited! I already know how to introduce myself, say hi, say "I know the Book of Mormon is true", I love you and other little things we have to say to the guests in-regards to pictures with us. He made a comment to us that we don't recognize now why the Lord has us in this assignment and together here on Temple Square. But in the years to come, as China opens, we will recognize why the Lord had us together. As we get to be an instrument to thousands upon thousands this summer in being an instrument in the Lords hands in preparing the way for China to open. When he made that comment it really caught me off guard but it makes so much sense. I don't recognize why now but in the next 10 or 20 years I will recognize more why we have been together at this time during this exciting time.
The Gospel is true and it's a blessing to be an instrument to bringing it to the lives of those all throughout the world who are unfortunate to not have it.
Elder Perry's Funeral:
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| A cool picture of the temple |
It was so sad hearing this past weekend of a beloved Apostles death. It just broke all of us when we heard about it. It wasn't that expected compared to others. I feel blessed having the knowledge that God has called these individuals to lead and guide us so we can prepare ourselves to return to his presence again. It's sad when one dies but I know that this is the Lord's will, his mission has come to an end here on earth. Tomorrow they will be holding his funeral in the Tabernacle and the older sisters in the mission received tickets to attend his funeral tomorrow, which will more than likely be a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness the memorial and remembrance of a beloved Apostle. They have been preparing Temple Square all week and it's going to be pretty remarkable. Temple Square will be COMPLETELY CLOSED till about 1 PM. ALL of the Church Campus will shut down at 10:30 till when the funeral is over. In order to go to the funeral you have to go through metal detectors and security at the gates. It will be a really powerful experience. They have had rehearsals this week as to how the hearse will get onto Temple Square and they have practiced driving it around Temple Square. It will be a really powerful experience tomorrow, an experience I will never forget. It's such a blessing to have a Prophet and Apostles on the earth today. I know this Gospel is true and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly God's church once again established on the earth today.
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| Friend's of Uncle Mark's from Colorado |
Well, I love you all! Please be healthy and take good care of yourselves! Grandma Susan know that my thoughts are with you. I pray that all will go well!! I love you so much and I know the Lord has everything under control with what happens. Family, know that I love you! My prayers are with you all at this time. Grandma Susan I love you, more than you will ever know. I don't know if you read my letters or not but in case you do, just know that. My prayers are with you at this time.
I love you all!!
Love always,
Sister Skaggs
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| I finally made it on the Birthday board! |
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| Sister Ferguson - one of my former comps! |
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